View full sizeThomas Boyd/The OregonianDesmond Lamson's plan was to catch a perfectly legal free train ride across the Willamette River. Instead, he ended up taking a trip that now totals more than $600.

It's hard to know where to begin the story of Desmond Lamson's $623 MAX ride across the Willamette River.

His BlackBerry buzzing on the afternoon of Aug. 9. Yeah, that's probably the best place.

When an old friend called, Lamson was riding his bicycle from downtown to Northeast Portland. The unemployed restaurant worker stopped at Union Station to take the call.

A Yellow Line train approached. "I wanted to keep talking," Lamson said. "So I got on the MAX with my bike."

Sure, he could have purchased a $2.05 fare and avoided the recent letter from the Oregon Department of Revenue, threatening to place a lien on his property. But he was in TriMet's Free Rail Zone.

One expensive train ride

Thinking of blowing off that TriMet ticket? Here's how a $175 fare-evasion fine can balloon if you don't show up for your court date:

$250 default judgment for failing to appear

$22 county jail assessment

$2 law enforcement medical asessment

$6 state court facility assessment

$37 administrative fees "unitary assessment"

$125 fine for failing to appear within 30 days

$136 Oregon Department of Revenue fee for collection services

$45 Offense surcharge to help fund state courts

Total: $623

The plan: Ride MAX across the Steel Bridge and get off at the Rose Quarter, before the Yellow Line turned north and required a ticket.

Distracted by the phone conversation, however, Lamson missed his stop. One station into the pay zone, he jumped off the train and bumped into a fare inspector.

"He said he had to write me up because TriMet was cracking down on people without fares," Lamson.

Ding: a $175 citation. Bad luck. And bad timing. A few weeks later, Lamson might have got away with a warning.

During September, TriMet eased up on its recent crackdown against fare cheats as it updated required credit-card software on vending machines. Fare inspectors issued 1,966 verbal warnings, compared to just 434 citations.

Then came the bad judgment. Lamson, 31, Portland born and a TriMet user since childhood, pocketed the citation and forgot about the Sept. 6 community court date scribbled on it.

On the day he was supposed to plead his case before a judge, Lamson was helping a friend with his apple harvest in central Washington.

Last week, a letter from the Oregon Department of Revenue rattled his memory. It ordered him to pay $623 within 10 days or face a warrant that would allow the state to garnish his bank account and place a lien on his property.

"Nothing showed up in the mail before that," he said.

Along with an increased $250 base fine for failing to appear in court, Lamson now faces a long list of new fees, including $125 for not paying within 30 days and $136 to the Department of Revenue for acting as Multnomah County Circuit Court's collection agency.

In fact, for $6 less than his MAX "ticket," he could have booked reservations to fly round trip to New York City next week.

The lesson (in case it's not clear): Don't brush off a TriMet ticket. Since it was Lamson's first transit infraction, he likely would have had his fine and court fees reduced.

"These things can be resolved pretty quickly," said Doug Bray, circuit court administrator. "But first, you have to show up in court." Joseph Rose 503-221-8029; jrose@oregonian.com